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HANDBOOK 

OF THE PENNSYLVANIA MUSEUM AND SCHOOL 
OF INDUSTRIAL ART 



SEAL ON THE 
PENN 
CHARTER 
1681 




SEAL 

OF 

KING 

CHARLES 

THE SECOND 



THE GREAT 

SEALS of ENGLAND 

AND SOME OTHERS 

FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION 
By CHARLES E. DANA 



\ 



A 



Art Handbook 



OF THE 

Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art 



THE GREAT SEALS OF 

ENGLAND 

AND SOME OTHERS. 



BY 

Charles E. Dana, 

HONORARY CURATOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PRINTS, MANUSCRIPTS 
BOOK PLATES AND HISTORIC SEALS. 



ILLUSTRATED. 




PRINTED FOR THE MUSEUM. 

MEMORIAL HALL, FAIRMOUNT PARK 

PHILADELPHIA 

I904 






y 



ma. 






PREFACE. 



All the Seals exhibited in the Museum of the Penn- 
sylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art having a 
glazed surface, which is produced by a sulphur solution, 
were obtained by the writer from the French Government, 
and are copies of those in the National Archives, in Paris. 
That collection, numbering more than fifty thousand speci- 
mens, is unique; no other is so systematically arranged, 
thereby enabling the student to devote his time solely to the 
class he is most interested in for the moment, be it Royal 
Seals, French or foreign, those of the great Feudatories, Ec- 
clesiastical, Municipal or other, each class being displayed by 
itself and fairly well labeled. 

The "Archives Nationales" are housed in the superb 
palace of the Princes of Rohan-Soubise, in the "Marais," 
once the aristocratic quarter of Paris, even yet the most 
interesting to the historian and the antiquary. There is no 
other "Hotel". in Paris comparable to it. The great entrance 
court forms a statelier approach than that of any royal palace 
in this city of palaces. The grand stairway and state apart- 
ments, practically intact, give one a very fair idea of the regal 
splendor formerly existing in the homes of the great French 
nobles. 

The limited size of this Hand-Book forced me to omit 
many interesting and amusing adventures of the English 
Great Seals. The names of some of the many authorities 
to whom I am indebted will be found at the end of the 
volume. 

C. E. D. 
Philadelphia, September ist, 1904. 

3 



SEALS. 

We have a right to assume that a Seal is, in all proba- 
bility, as accurate a representation of the owner as the art 
of his day was capable of. It was seen and approved by him 
before being used. It was unquestionably contemporaneous 
and was executed, no doubt, by the best available artist. It 
must therefore be, what was considered by those best able to 
judge, a good likeness; it represents, in addition, the correct 
costume and the art of the period; this cannot be said of 
anything else until about the middle of the XV Century. 

Painted portraits, of most dubious authenticity, begin, 
say, about the middle of the XIV Century. To one familiar 
with the dazzling Henry V. (died 1423); with that hero of 
song and romance, "the young and brave Dunois" (died 
1468); with John "the Good" (died 1364), it is an utter im- 
possibility to believe that the unpleasant suggestions of 
humanity bequeathed to us by the much belauded "Primi- 
tives" (early painters), are portraits, in our sense of the word, 
of those heroes. 

The miniatures in the old missals were done in the 
dreamy quiet of the Scriptorium by monks, at best from 
vague descriptions of the originals, or were mere conven- 
tional semblances of what the old monks thought a warrior 
or a king ought to look like. Sculpture is better, for here we 
have the work of the same artist who made the Seal; unfortu- 
nately, many of the portrait statues, effigies on tombs, were 
from memory, done long after the death of the persons repre- 
sented, — while, as I said before, the Seal was, with the rarest 
possible exceptions, contemporaneous. 

It was, and in many cases still is, of vast importance. 
The Great Seal of England was supposed to be endowed 
with magic power; with it the King could do anything; with- 

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out it, nothing; he could not even govern. To counterfeit 
it was treason; the punishment, to be "hanged, drawn and 
quartered." 

Those hazy great ones of yore, like William the Con- 
queror, Richard of the Lion Heart, and others, to whom 
distance lends such a glow of enchantment, were veritable 
savages; to them the laborious scrawling of their names, as 
a five-year old child of today might do, was an unknown 
accomplishment, so they fell back on Seals, and by the 
middle of the XII Century Seals were the universal means 
of authenticating documents. The wicked John of England 
sealed, not signed, on June 15th, 12 15, the Magna Charta. 
The earliest signed English document is that of the unfortu- 
nate Richard II. (murdered 1400), though his father, Edward 
the Black Prince, knight "without fear and without reproach," 
has left us a warrant (1370) upon which he has written, "de 
par Homent Ich Dien," given by Homent, Ich Dien (his two 
mottoes). What does Homent (usually "Houmont") mean, 
and what Ich Dien (I serve)? That alas, the Prince has not 
told us. 

The Great Seal of England was originally about three 
inches in diameter; today its size is doubled. It started 
archaic but sincere; in the XIV and XV Centuries it became 
rich and artistic; it is now wanting in relief and weakly 
decadent. The wax is contained in a box, called a "skippet" 
or "fender," to better preserve the precious but fragile Seal, 
which is attached to its parchment document by cords 
woven through holes therein, the ends of which cords pass 
through the waxen Seal, so that either parchment, Seal or 
cords must be mutilated to separate them. It is said that 
the color of the wax betokens the permanent or temporary 
character of the document; be that as it may, red is the color 
most commonly used. 

The Seal must be attached to all documents to which 
His Majesty, as Sovereign, gives his royal assent; — these are, 
treaties with foreign powers, charters of towns or institu- 

6 



tions, appointments of colonial governors, ''conges d'elire," 
etc., etc. The conge d'elire is one of those funny fictions Eng- 
land so abounds in. When a new bishop is appointed by the 
Government and the matter is absolutely settled, his name, 
and a conge d'elire (permission to elect the bishop) is sent 
to the Chapter of the Cathedral over which he is to preside, 
so that the assembled Dean and Canons may enact the 
innocent comedy of an election, if it gives them any pleasure. 

The Penn Charter is the royal document with which we 
are most familiar. Such were executed in triplicate. The 
one which belonged to Penn is preserved in Harrisburg, lack- 
ing, by some mischance, the all important Seal. That colossal 
bronze disc, supposed to represent the Seal, which dangles 
from the Charter beside the gigantic bronze William Penn 
on the top of the City Hall, Philadelphia, combines two most 
important errors: The sculptor made a Seal which in no wise 
resembles any Great Seal ever used in England, and then, to 
add to the absurdity, put upon this Charter of 1681 the coat- 
of-arms of Queen Victoria^ absolutely unknown before the 
year 1837. The true Seal, that of Charles II., is represented 
on the cover of this handbook. 

The Penn Charter when it left the Privy Council, was 
folded in a peculiar manner and encircled by a ribbon of 
parchment, which passed through a slit cut in the docu- 
ment; the ends of this ribbon were sealed together as well as 
to the Charter itself by the "Privy Seal." Thus it went to 
the Lord Chancellor. His voucher was the Privy Seal, which 
he was forced to destroy in order to open the document; as 
this Seal always had to be broken, not a single example of 
it can be found. The Lord Chancellor wrote at the foot of 
the Charter, "Recepi, 4 March, 1680," (sometimes he added 
his signature) and this was the authority to the Clerk of the 
Patents for making the very handsome, engrossed copy now 
at Harrisburg, and suspending therefrom the Great Seal of 
England. 

This mode of attaching Seals, by a cord or ribbon of 



leather, silk or parchment, came in a little before A.D. noo. 
Documents exist from which 39 and even 59 seals dangle. 
The earlier way of attaching the Seal was to make two cuts, 
crosswise, in the document. The corners thus formed were 
turned back; a sheet of soft wax was applied on the face 
side, a smaller sheet on the back. The two matrices were 
then pressed against the two sheets of wax and this, meeting- 
through the space formed by the turned down corners, made 
a sort of rivet of wax. The smaller matrix was called the 
Secretum. Such Seals are sometimes found in the very middle 
of a document, but are usually on the lower edge, which is 
doubled back to make it stronger. 

Until the XI or XII Century pure wax was used, then 
coloring matter was added, white, red, green, black or 
blue. In the accounts of the Archbishop of Rouen we find 
the proportions for wax for the official Seal, — 50 lbs. of 
bees-wax, 2 lbs. of coloring matter, 16 lbs. of rosin; the last 
makes the mixture very brittle. Some twenty years ago 
the English Parliament passed an Act permitting, from mo- 
tives of economy, the use of a wafer. 

The matrices of the Great Seal of England look very 
much like a pair of waffle-irons. They were formerly made 
of copper, but, since 1818, have been of silver; weight about 
185 ozs., value, of the metal, say, $150. Gold, silver, 
bronze, copper, iron, pewter, ivory, jet, etc., have been used 
for matrices. Those for the leaden Seals or bullae, attached 
to Papal documents (from whence "Papal Bulls" or edicts) 
were of tempered steel, as, in this case, the impression was 
made on cold metal. Gold and silver Seals were sometimes 
used. 

In England the first act of a new sovereign is to order a 
new Seal. When this is finished the old one undergoes a pro- 
cess called "damasking"; it is supposed to be broken; in 
reality it receives but a gentle tap from a hammer wielded by 
the sovereign, in the presence of the Privy Council, after 
which it becomes the perquisite of the Lord Chancellor. 



Except during the Commonwealth, there has been, 
since the days of William the Conqueror, an unbroken series 
of Great Seals, each with the Sovereign enthroned on the 
"obverse," or principal side, and on horse-back, in full armor, 
on the "reverse." All national or knightly Seals were round; 
ecclesiastical and some queenly seals were elliptical, though 
usually pointed; a few Seals are square. 

The very early Seals are interesting but less instructive 
than the ones we are studying. William of Champagne, 
Archbishop of Sens (XII Century), sealed with a most 
beautiful bust of Venus. A head of Caracalla was christian- 
ized by the words "O Petros." Charlemagne (died 815) is 
said to have sealed treaties with the pommel of his sword, 
adding the remark, "and with the point I will maintain it." 

The most beautiful Seals, artistically, are those of the 
Queens of France. The richest, heraldically, those of the 
Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire (of Germany). One 
of the most elaborate known (not in the collection) is that 
of Boxgrove Priory, Sussex. It is of the "vesica" shape 
(pointed at top and bottom like two gothic arches united at 
their springing line). Vesica Piscis means fish's bladder. The 
term may possibly have been employed because the fish was 
a symbol of our Lord. On the obverse is the Virgin en- 
throned. Reverse, the west front of the church with all its 
minute richness of gothic tracery, while through the windows 
is seen the interior, with its shrines. Four matrices were 
required, the first for the obverse; the second for the interior 
of the church; the third for the west front, which when cool 
was fitted to the second; the fourth for the legend. 

In early times the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal was 
an ecclesiastic of high rank. On receiving office the Seal 
was hung about his neck and he was enjoined to "use it to 
the honor of God and his Sovereign," upon which he sallied 
forth and used it energetically for his own benefit, since no 
document "passed the Great Seal" until a big fee was paid 



the Lord Keeper. By Act of Elizabeth the offices of Lord 
Keeper and Lord Chancellor were united. 

The ceremony of the delivery of the Great Seal to-day, 
though not impressive is most important. The lucky lawyer 
selected is called into the royal presence; on a table near the 
King is a morocco covered box containing the Great Seal. 
His Majesty waves one royal hand toward this, intimating 
that the lawyer is to take possession of it; this done, the 
lawyer kisses one of the royal hands and retires, backwards 
of course, from the royal presence, bearing the Great Seal 
and the title of Lord High Chancellor, with the right to a 
salary of $50,000 a year. In addition, he is Speaker of the 
House of Lords, has an enormous patronage in Church and 
State, is the keeper of the royal conscience and second subject 
in the realm, the Archbishop of Canterbury being the first. 
The Lord Chancellor is supposed, another pleasing fiction, 
to carry the Seal about with him wherever he goes; in reality 
he locks it up in a specially secure safe, and the beautifully 
embroidered purse with the royal arms upon it, a unique 
piece of art-needlework, made to carry the Seal — is empty. 
For each session of Parliament there is a new purse. Lord 
Thurlow, Chancellor from 1778 to 1792, a period of stormy 
days and frequent sessions, received so many purses that it 
is said Lady Thurlow was able to make several magnificent 
counterpanes, as well as bed-hangings, from these rare works 
of art. 

When the Chancellor enters the House of Lords, he is 
followed by his Purse Bearer in full court costume. The 
empty bag is solemnly placed behind him, so that all the 
world may see that he still has the Great Seal, — though not 
with him. The Great Seal must never leave the country, 
and as it must never leave the Lord Chancellor, it follows 
that that officer, while Lord Chancellor, is a prisoner, sealed 
to the United Kingdom. 

Among the many comfortable sinecures of England is 
the office of "Clerk of the Chafe Wax," whose important duty 

10 



it is to soften the wax needed for the Great Seal, over a 
charcoal fire in a chafing brazier. 

OFFA. The earliest impression of a Seal used by a 
Sovereign in England, is that of Offa (reigned 757 to 796) 
King of Mercia. Very roughly, Mercia extended from a little 
North of Liverpool to a little South of the River Severn; from 
the Welsh border eastward, one-third across England. The 
Seal is from the King's signet ring, and is attached to a char- 
ter dated 790, confirming a grant of land in Sussex to the 
abbey of St. Denis, France. The word "Rex," king, can be 
made out in front of the profile. Offa was the first British 
Sovereign to make yearly payments to Rome, and Pope 
Hadrian I. described him as "King of the English," probably 
the first use of that title. He drove the Britons back into 
Wales and built a line of fortresses, which was known as 
"Offa's Dike," along the Eastern frontier of that turbulent 
principality. He braved the anger of the great Emperor 
Charlemagne and his treaty for the protection of English 
merchants and pilgrims is the first monument of English 
foreign diplomacy. His laws were so just (he disregarded 
them himself and gained his throne by murder) that they 
were adopted by Alfred the Great. 

EDGAR "The Peaceable," "King of the English" (944 
to 975). This seal is a Roman gem bearing a bust in profile; 
it is from another charter in favor of the abbey of St. Denis, 
date 960. Edgar became king about 958. He was crowned 
at Bath, 973, and later eight vassal British princes rowed his 
barge on the River Dee. His Archbishop of Canterbury was 
the celebrated St. Dunstan, who was fortunate enough to 
catch the devil by the nose with a pair of red-hot pincers. 
The devil in olden times was easily put to shame, but has 
developed very considerably since then. 

EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. Born about 1004, 
died 1066. A "Confessor" is one who confesses Christianity 
in times of danger but escapes martyrdom. This is the first 
pendant, English, royal Seal and consequently has two sides, 

11 



though there is but slight difference between them. On both 
sides the King is enthroned; on the obverse he holds in his 
right hand a sceptre terminating in a trefoil, in his left hand 
an orb. On the reverse he bears in his right hand the 
"sceptre of mercy," terminating in a dove, and in his left 
hand a sword, an implement he never used. The throne is a 
cushioned stool. The features are tolerably well marked, 
especially the long thin moustaches and pointed beard. 
There seems some reason to believe that Edward was an 
albino. Device on both sides, "Sigillum Edwardie Anglorum 
Basilei" (Seal of Edward King of the English). Note the 
Latinized Greek word Basilei; the Anglo-Saxons had a great 
fondness for such, so that their writings were often unin- 
telligible to one not acquainted with Greek. 

Edward married, 1044, the "Lady" Editha, daughter of 
Earl Godwine. The word Queen, which meant originally 
woman or wife, was not used till the reign of William the 
Conqueror. Edward was almost a monk and left no heirs, 
his senseless vow bringing untold misery upon his country. 
His principal monument is St. Peter's Church, better known 
to us as Westminster Abbey. 

There is no Seal of Harold, brother to Lady Editha, the 
last English king for many a year to come. He reigned 
from the beginning of January, 1066, till an arrow pierced 
his brain just as the evening was closing in, on the heights 
above Senlac (battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066). He 
fell at the foot of the Dragon Standard, and the English 
army slowly and sullenly went out into the night, — and 
England became Norman. 

WILLIAM I., or the Conqueror, or the Bastard. (Born 
1027. Died 1087.) His father was called Robert the Mag- 
nificent (sometimes, but erroneously, "Robert the Devil") on 
account of his very extravagant habits, shoeing his mule with 
golden shoes when he entered Byzantium, and such like 
vagaries. Walking one day near the town of Falaise (Nor- 
mandy) he was so much struck by the beauty of Arlotta, 

12 



daughter of a tanner of the town, as she, at a little rivulet, 
attended to the family wash, that she became the mother of 
William the Conqueror. 

This is the first typical English seal. On the obverse 
William is seated on a stool-like throne. In his right hand he 
holds a sword, which he rarely laid aside. In his left, an orb 
surmounted by a cross. Legend, ''Hoc Normanorum Willel- 
mum nosce Patronum si" (By this sign know that William 
of the Normans is [your] master). Reverse, mounted on a 
most woodeny horse. In his right hand the short Norman 
lance (frequently used as a javelin), with a striped pennon. 
Left hand, the long, pear-shaped, pointed, Norman shield. As 
heraldic devices did not appear for another ioo years, William 
shows only the inside of his shield. He wears the pointed 
helmet of his race and the hauberk, or long shirt, made of 
several thicknesses of linen, on which steel rings, about f 
of an inch in diameter, were sewn; a far from bad substi- 
tute for chain-mail. For some reason William is the only 
Norman who wears hose made of similar mail. There is 
considerable doubt as to the cut of this "hauberk" (see the 
Bayeux Tapestry, of which the Museum possesses a very 
fine fac-simile), whether it ended in short breeches, a most 
awkward garment to get in or out of, or whether it was a 
shirt, slit up in front and behind for convenience in riding. 
Legend, "Hoc Anglis regem signo fatearis eundem," (By 
this Seal know the real King of England (?)). Notice that 
priority is given to "Patron" or "Protector" of Normandy 
over "Rex" or Kins: of England. The difference, which 
occurs here for the first time between ruler of the people and 
ruler of the country, counts for much amongst sovereigns; 
see Napoleon, Louis Philippe, etc. Notice also, on the ob- 
verse, that William is far from thin (see Plate I). 

WILLIAM II. Born 1056-1060. King 1087. Died 
1100. Called "Rufus" or the Red, on account of his ruddy 
complexion. Son of the Conqueror and Matilda his "Queen." 
Seal much like his father's.. Obverse, on each side of the 

13 




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head an ornament known as a ''six-leaved, encircled." 
Legend same on either side, "Willelmus Dei Gratia Rex 
Angloru" (William, by the Grace of God King of the Eng- 
lish). A good soldier, but a bad king. Brutal, profligate, ex- 
travagant; "loathsome to well nigh all his people" (English 
Chronicles). One cannot help admiring his arrogant cour- 
age; hearing of a rebellion in Normandy, despite a fierce gale, 
with a few companions he sprang into a slight skiff and or- 
dered them to cross the English Channel. To their plaintive 
remonstrances he contemptuously replied, "Kings never 
drown." 

He was intensely hated and one August morning (noo) 
his body was found in a glade in the New Forest (northwest 
of Southampton), pierced by a cross-bow bolt. Walter 
Tyrrel, it was said, fired at a buck, the bolt struck a tree, 
glanced and killed the King. Was there really that helpful 
tree? Tyrrel left for parts unknown while England rejoiced. 
The body "dripping gore" was brought to Winchester "in 
a crazy two wheeled cart of a charcoal burner, drawn by a 
sorry nag." . . . "He was buried with scant honors and 
dry eyes." His tomb is as inconvenient an obstacle in the 
choir of Winchester Cathedral today as he himself was to all 
good works when living. Those who are interested in Rulus 
can see assorted bits of him in the delightfully quaint old 
Cathedral library (see Plate I). 

HENRY I. Born 1068. King 1100. Died 1135. 
Henry, the younger brother of Rums, was hunting that same 
day in the New Forest. When the news of the King's death 
was brought him he did not waste any unnecessary tears, 
but galloped to Winchester, seized the treasury and had 
himself proclaimed King. He was called "Beauclerc" (Good 
Scholar), because he could actually read and write! Born at 
Selby in Yorkshire, he was English. His first wife, Matilda 
or Maud, was a direct descendant of the Saxon king Edgar 
(see p. 11), so that in the veins of her two children, William 
and Matilda, ran the blood of Alfred the Great (901). 

15 



Henry's Seal differs little from that of his brother Rufus, 
save in the legend, where "Henricus" replaces "Willelmus." 
Henry introduced a number of reforms in the government, so 
that, as kings went in those days, he was not a bad one. His 
life was cruelly crushed by a great sorrow; his only son, 
together with his natural daughter Margaret, were both lost 
in the sinking of the ship "Blanch Nef" (White Ship). When 
Henry heard the news he fell into a swoon and never smiled 
again. The word nave as applied to that portion of a church 
west of the transepts conies from the same root as "Nef" 
(Latin navis, a ship). 

MAUD, Henry's only surviving child, married the Ger- 
man Emperor Henry V. (son of the Henry who paid the 
unpleasant visit to Canossa). The Emperor died childless 
and Maud married Geoffry, son of Fulk d'Anjou, the one 
enemy Beauclerc really feared. The Anjou family badge was 
the broom plant, so common throughout all France. Planta 
genista, from whence Plantagenet. 

STEPHEN OF BLOIS. Born 1 105. King 1 135. Died 
1 1 54. Adela, a daughter of the Conqueror, married a Count 
of Blois (on the river Loire, in France); Stephen was their 
son. Except the substitution of the name "Stephanus" for 
"Henricus" there is little difference in the new Seal. On the 
reverse, for some unknown reason, Stephen turns his shield 
so that one sees half the front; as there is nothing on it one 
wonders why he does this. 

Maud claimed the throne for her infant son Henry, 
grandson of Henry Beauclerc. He is known as "Henry 
Fitz (son of) Empress" and later as Henry II. Until 11 52 
England was a prey to warring factions, then a treaty was 
made by which Stephen kept the throne during his lifetime 
but recognized Henry as his heir. 

HENRY II., of Anjou. The first of the Plantagenets. 
Born 1 133. King 11 54. Died 1189. Known as "Curt 
Mantel" (short mantle) because he introduced the short An- 
gevin cloak in place of the long one worn by the Normans. 

16 



Seal same as that of Henry I., except, on reverse; legend 
reads, "Henricus Dei Gra Dux Normanorum et Aquit et 
Com Andeg" (Henry by the grace of God Duke of the Nor- 
mans and Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins). Henry 
called himself English and was even known as "JEtheling," 
the Saxon for eldest son, or "Prince of Wales." He married 
Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII. of 
France; she was the greatest heiress in Europe, though she 
had her disadvantages, so that the King of France, her former 
husband, when deprived of her rich dower, found himself 
ruler over only a little land crowded in between Normandy 
and the river Somme on the north, the Loire on the south, 
Brittany on the west and the Meuse on the east (see Plate I). 
RICHARD I., "Cceur de Lion''; why? nobody seems to 
know. Third son of Henry II. Born 1157. King 1189. 
Died 1 199. First Seal; Obverse, King wears a close fitting 
tunic, loose surcoat embroidered at the neck and arms; over 
all a cloak. Crown with three points "fleury" (flowered), 
without arches. Holds sword and orb. Throne more elabo- 
rate than those of his predecessors. Either side of the head a 
crescent enclosing a star; this is a knightly emblem of purity 
{crescent, attribute of the Virgin and of Diana), and lofty 
desires (star). It has nothing to do with the Turks, who were 
then but wild savage troops of irregulars fighting in the 
Saracen armies, and did not adopt the crescent till after the 
capture of Constantinople (1453), the crescent having been 
the emblem of that city. On either side of the throne is a 
sprig of broom, the planta genista. Legend, translated, — 
"Richard by the grace of God King of the English." Re- 
verse, the usual mounted figure: he wears a hauberk of real 
chain mail. Whether such was introduced at this time, or 
was known to the Greeks and Romans, is disputed. No plate 
armor of any kind whatever was then worn. The pointed 
helm with the nasal (nose guard) is as in the time of the Con- 
queror. Note the surcoat hanging below the hauberk (see 
Plate II). 

17 



Richard shows half of his shield, and on this is plainly 
visible a lion rampant ("contourne," i. e. looking toward the 
heraldic left). Unquestionably there was a corresponding 
lion on the invisible side of the shield, heraldically described 
as "two lions combatant" (fighting). This is the first appear- 
ance of English royal heraldry. The first heraldic device at 
present known is on a charter (dated 1170) of Philip I., count 
of Flanders. Legend (translated), — "Richard Duke of the 
Normans and Aquitanians (?), Count of the Angevins." 

Second Seal. In 1190 Richard went Crusading (Third 
Crusade), a popular amusement in those days. He took 
with him his Vice-Chancellor Malchien, who carried the 
first Seal in a bag suspended from his neck. During a 
violent storm off Cyprus, Malchien and the seal went to the 
bottom. Richard, the knight errant, was the hero of many 
romantic adventures, such as capturing Cyprus and its Sover- 
eign, marrying the beautiful Berengaria,. fighting that most 
knightly of Saracens, Saladin; not capturing Jerusalem, but 
riding to the "Mount Joy," from whence his followers could 
see the Holy City, while he drew his cloak over his eyes, 
refusing to look upon what he could not redeem. Ship- 
wrecked in the Adriatic, made prisoner near Vienna, confined 
in the dreary dungeons of Durrenstein, said to have been dis- 
covered by the troubadour Blondel, ransomed for about half 
a million of our money of today. His amiable brother John 
had ruled England in such a way that when he received from 
his royal "pal" of France, a curt note, "Beware, the Devil's 
unchained," and knew that Richard was coming, his sensa- 
tions were the very reverse of pleasant. John's "pal," Philip 
Augustus, became later, his implacable foe. 

Richard arrived in London March 16, 1194, and ordered 
a new Seal immediately. Obverse; slight difference in the 
drapery; fleur-de-lis on the sides of the throne. Crescent on 
the right; a sun of 16 rays on the left; no planta genista. Re- 
verse, horse more spirited. The full shield is displayed and 
on it, plain to be seen by all, three lions ("passant, gardant, 

18 



in pale"), the first appearance of the Royal Arms of England; 
and so they have remained until this day. The helmet is of 
the keg-like description, called a "heaume"; this was thickly 
padded in the top, the whole weight resting on the crown of 
the head. Small slits or holes in front ("occularia") enabled 
the wearer to see. This cumbersome defence was carried at 
the saddle-bow and only put on, with regret, in time of 
danger. The top is flat and spanned by what seems an arch 
of feathers; under this appears for the first time, the Royal 
Crest of England, t'he Crowned Lion. 

Most of the words in heraldry are either French or a mon- 
grel of old French and English, frequently modified by ig- 
norance. In French Heraldry a "lion" was the animal of that 
name, walking, with all four feet on the ground, his face in 
profile. If he happened to look at you he became a "leopard" 
(in English Heraldry, "passant gardant"); why, is unknown, 
as he remains unspotted. This gives rise to considerable 
confusion because the English lions, described by a French- 
man, are always "leopards." 

JOHN. Born 1167. King 1199. Died 12 16. "Lack- 
land," a name given him by his father, — "Johans Sanz Terre," 
John Lackland, because Henry had portioned out his broad 
domains to his four sons before John, his fifth son, was born. 
The worst king we have met. His Seal does not differ mate- 
rially from his brother Richard's, only he becomes ruler of 
the land and not of the people; "Johannes Dei Gracia Rex 
Anglie et Dominus Hibernie" (John by the grace of God 
King of England and Lord of Ireland). Reverse, transla- 
tion, "John Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of 
Anjou." This Seal is particularly interesting because it was 
attached to the Magna Charta, upon which the liberties of 
our race are founded, June 15th, 12 15. 

HENRY III. Son of John. Born 1207. King 1216. 
Died 1272. This Seal is from a charter dated 12 19, Henry 
being then only 12 years old. It is but a fragment though 
far better artistically than any other we have met. It gives, 

19 



Plate II. 




Edward I. p. 21. Richard I. p. 17. 

Knights Templars, p. 51. 
Henry III. p. 19. Henry VIII. p. 25. 



no doubt, a very fair idea of the appearance of the author of 
so much trouble to his country (see Plate II). 

EDWARD I. Called "Longshanks" on account of his 
size; ''Hammer of the Scots," on account of the way he 
smashed that unfortunate people. Eldest son of the preced- 
ing. Born 1239. King 1272. Died 1307. He gave his 
baby son, born in Caernarvon, a Welsh castle, to the Welsh as 
their prince. Since then the eldest son of the King has al- 
ways been "created Prince of W r ales." Edward was a good 
soldier and by his recognition of the capabilities of the long- 
bow founded the Archers of England, sturdy yeomen who 
made English armies invincible for three hundred years. His 
motto was ''Pactum Serva," (keep thy promise). Seal does 
not differ much from that of Henry III. Note the crowned 
helmet. This same Seal was used by his son Edward II., who 
was so fearfully beaten at Bannockburn (13 14, by Robert 
Bruce, King of Scotland) and was, in 1327, brutally murdered 
in Berkley Castle. Edward II. 's mother was a daughter of 
Ferdinand III., King of Castile; for that reason he added the 
two castles (arms of Castile) on the obverse. Edward II. 
married Isabella, daughter of Philip IV., King of France. 
Her three brothers died without male heirs. The "Salic 
Law," which prevails in France, forbids a woman to reign, 
nor can the right to reign be transmitted through a woman. 
In spite of this law Edward III. (Isabella's son) claimed the 
throne of France, knowing perfectly that he had no right to 
it. This trumped-up claim brought on the "Hundred Years 
War," in which those tremendous victories of the English 
long-bow, Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt, were episodes. The 
English sovereigns bore the arms of France and the title of 
"King of France," until January 1st, 1801, the year of the 
union with Ireland (see Plate II). 

EDWARD III. Born 1312. King 1327. Died 1377. 
First used his father's Seal, but indulged later in seven others. 
That exhibited is one of the most beautiful Gothic Seals 
of England. I quote from a description by Allan Wyon, 



F.S.A., Chief Engraver of "Her Majesty's Seals:" "You see 
the King enthroned, crowned, holding in his right hand a 
sceptre terminating in a reliquary, and in his left an orb, on 
which is a cross crosslet at the end of a long stem. In the 
central niche of the canopy of the throne is a half figure . . . 
holding up the hand in benediction. In the side niches are 
oak trees, in the leaves of which is a bird, and on the ground 
at the base is a greyhound. From the upper part of each 
tree is suspended a shield, charged with the arms of France 
and England quarterly. Two lions sejant are beside the King 
. . . above ... on the right the Blessed Virgin with 
the Holy Child; on the left ... St. George. Further 
from the centre are men-at-arms. Reverse (or "Counter 
Seal") . . . Attention is called to the elegant fan-crest — 
to the inner border enriched with a series of 24 cusps, the 
spandrils filled with tracery, the whole forming a beautiful 
rose. In place of a cross to mark the commencement of 
the legend is the hand blessing. This seal with altered 
legends continued to be one of the Great Seals of England 
for in years ..." 

RICHARD II. ("Of Bordeaux," younger son of Edward 
the Black Prince, grandson of Edward III. Born 1367. 
King 1377. Murdered at Pontefract Castle 1400). "In 1377 
Richard II. altered the letters EDW. to RIC, thus altering 
the name Edwardus to Ricardus, and continued the use of 
the seal throughout his reign." 

HENRY IV. ("Bolingbroke," because born at that 
place 1367). King 1400. Died of that loathsome disease 
leprosy 141 3. Was doubly a usurper. Richard was rightful 
king but left no heirs. Henry IV. was son of that evil poli- 
tician, John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III. But the 
Duke of Clarence, third son, left heirs who had a prior claim. 
"Henry IV. having altered RICARDUS to HENRICUS 
used this Seal (Richard II. 's) for about nine years. In 1408 
he had a new Seal made." Mr. Wyon then gives a very long 
description of what he considers the symbolism of this Seal; I 

22 



shall not quote further than to say that a steady improvement 
in the workmanship may be noted. In a sharp impression 
the resemblance to the effigy on Henry's tomb in Canterbury 
Cathedral is said to be striking. 

Obverse, above the King is the figure of the Virgin and 
Child, a king and a martyr on either side. Lower down, 
St. Michael and St. George. Below these, St. Edward the 
Confessor and St. Edmund the Martyr, angels holding their 
(purely imaginary) coats of arms. Arms of Wales, Cornwall 
and Chester on base of throne. Legend, translation: "Henry 
by the Grace of God King of England and France, Duke of 
Ireland." Henry, according to Mr. Wyon, hoped this dis- 
tinguished collection of saints would, in return for the honor 
thus done them, forget their principles and support the 
usurper. The matrices were of gold. Seal about 5 inches 
in diameter. 

HEXRY V. Born 1387. King 1413. Died 1422. 
Used the same Seal as his father. Probably the noblest king 
England ever had. Shakspere's account of his youthful esca- 
pades is amusing but untrue. He adopted, and was con- 
firmed by the King of France in, the title, "Henricus Rex 
Anglise et Hseres Francise" (Henry King of England and 
Heir of France). 

HEXRY VI. Born 142 1. King 1422. Murdered 
147 1. Became King at the age of one year. Crowned 
a second time, in Paris, 1430. It was during this reign 
that Joan of Arc, "Maid of Orleans," the sweetest and 
most pathetic character of the middle ages appeared. At 
the head of the armies of France, which up to that time actu- 
ally cowered before the English, she gained those brilliant 
victories which now seem little short of miraculous. Charles 
the Dauphin, "King of Bourges" his enemies called him in 
derision, was dragged, trembling, by Joan to Rheims and 
there crowned King of France. Charles VII., the "Victori- 
ous," the French call him; few indeed would have been his 
victories had it not been for the skill and the courage of the 

23 



Maid of Orleans; yet when she was captured, probably 
through French treachery, he let her be burned for what 
she had done for him and made not a single effort to save 
her, — nor did any other of the so-called "Chivalry of France." 

EDWARD IV. Born at Rouen, 1441. King 1461. 
Died 1481. And called, he was so handsome, "The Rose of 
Rouen." Edward was Earl of March, son of Richard, Duke 
of York and true heir to the throne, the usurping House of 
Lancaster retiring for the moment. Those were stirring 
times; the "Wars of the Roses," York white, Lancaster red, 
were depopulating England. Edward's brother Clarence was 
much addicted to Malmsey wine; he was found drowned in a 
butt of it. Such a pleasantly original murder (?). Warwick, 
"the King Maker," lived a strenuous life and gave it up on 
the field of Barnet. Caxton introduced printing into Eng- 
land. Verily there were giants in those days; unfortunately 
there were tyrants. England was, according to one of the 
shrewdest of observers, Philippe de Commines, the best 
ordered monarchy in Europe. Edward IV. changed all that, 
and the limited monarchy became a very absolute one. 

Seal. Obverse, Edward enthroned with a mace-shaped 
sceptre in the right hand. On each side the arms of England 
and France quarterly. Below, two lions or lions' faces. In 
the outer niches two men-at-arms. On either side, below the 
King's feet, a "rose en soleil" (rose with rays, like the sun), 
King Edward's badge. Legend as usual. Reverse, King on 
horse-back in full plate armor, the Lion of England for crest. 
The sur-coat of the rider and the drapery of the horse 
richly embroidered with the fleurs-de-lis (lilies) of France and 
the lions of England. Three ostrich feathers surmount the 
champ f rein (horse's face-guard). A mound of broken ground 
with a rabbit warren, at his feet. Back-ground "diapered" 
(patterned, richly ornamented) with lilies, lions' heads, roses. 
Legend the same. Armor by this time had reached its per- 
fection; it was made throughout of steel plates deftly fitted 
to the figure or limb; light (war armor 50 lbs. and up- 

24 



wards), flexible and resisting. The champfrein was the piece 
upon which the owner lavished his finest jewels. Cost of a 
suit, from about $200 of our money up to thousands. The 
sword is always a clumsy weapon, in the nature of a club, for 
breaking armor. 

RICHARD III. Born 1452. King 1483. Killed at 
the Battle of Bosworth 1485, where his very corpse was in- 
sulted by his cold-blooded rival Henry VII. Seal, same as the 
second (1478) of Edward IV., with the change of "RICAR" 
for "EDWAR," making the legend read "Ricardus," etc. 
Richard was the last Yorkist to mount the throne and all 
of us, unintentionally no doubt, form our ideas of him from 
Shakspere, forgetting that he wrote in Elizabeth's time; she, 
a violent Lancastrian, his object was to curry favor with 
that masterful lady by any and all means. Richard is painted 
for us as a hideous, deformed monster of iniquity. Lady 
Desmond, who in her youth had danced with Richard, states 
''that with the exception of his brother the King, acknowl- 
edged to be very handsome, there was no better looking 
gentleman in the whole court"; this is further strengthened 
by the existing portraits, which, though far from flattering, 
are, at least, not deformed. While the murder of the two 
young Princes in the Tower is in the first rank for cold- 
blooded cruelty, Henry VII., Richard's successor, was quite 
his equal for ordinary treachery, murder and brutality. What- 
ever his reasons may have been, Richard's short rule was 
most liberal. Parliament resumed its important place and 
some of his laws might be imitated by us with very great 
advantage, such as the admission, free of duty, of all books 
and other things of an educational nature. 

The next Seal which need detain us is that of HENRY 
VIII., "Bluff King Hal," the much married one, whom 
Charles Dickens describes as a "blot of blood and grease on 
the history of England." Born 1491. King 1509. Died 
1547. These Seals of Henry VIII. tell a most important and 
most interesting story. Henry married (1509) Catherine of 

25 



Aragon, his brother's widow (illegal, but the Pope gave him a 
dispensation). His early seals bear the usual legend, with 
the additional two words, which remain to this day part of 
the title of British sovereigns, "Fidei Defensor,''' Defender 
of the Faith (the Roman Catholic Faith, of course). This 
was given by Pope Leo X. as a reward for Henry's book, 
controverting Luther. As this Seal is of gold it is not, strictly 
speaking, a seal at all. It is attached to a treaty made with 
Francis I. at the "Field of the Cloth of Gold," 1520, and is 
preserved in the Rolls Office, London. In this we first meet 
the art of the Re-naissance (new-birth), the classic revival, 
which began in Italy a little before 1500 and reached England 
a little after 1500. Note for the first time a number after the 
Sovereign's name, "Henric 8." On Henry's third Seal, 1542, 
appear the words " . . . et in Terra Ecclesiae Anglicanre 
et Hibernse Suprenum Caput" (and in the land of the Church 
of England and of Ireland Supreme Head). The Pope is now 
no longer supreme in England and Ireland, though Henry is 
still "Fidei Defensor," but of the Protestant Faith. This 
phrase was the cause of the death of Sir Thomas More, Car- 
dinal Fisher and many others, as they refused to acknowledge 
Henry supreme head of the Church (see Plate II). 

EDWARD VI. Son of Henry VIII. and Jane Sey- 
mour, Henry's third wife, who was fortunate enough to die in 
giving birth to Edward. Born 1537. King 1547. Died 
1553. The Seal is strikingly renaissance in design; the 
Gothic is past and forgotten. Obverse, on either side of the 
King's head are the letters "E" "R," Edwardus Rex (Edward 
the King). At the sides of the throne are the arms of Eng- 
land surrounded by the Garter, on which is the motto, "Honi 
soit qui mal y pense" (Evil be to him who evil thinks). 
Legend; "Edwards Sexts Di. Gr. Angle. Franc, et Hibnie.rex 
fidi. defs. et tra. ecclesie. Anglicane et Hibernie sumv. caput." 
Reverse, the poor little consumptive boy is represented in 
full armor on a richly caparisoned horse, a greyhound, one 
of the badges of the House of York (Wyon), running be- 

26 



neath. Behind him the crowned rose of England. In front 
the crowned lily of France. A mass of ostrich plumes de- 
scend from the lion-crested helmet and others surmount the 
horse's head. The background is richly diapered, the rose 
and the lily frequently appearing. Legend repeated. 

MARY I. Called "Bloody Mary," but she should be 
judged by what was ''bloody" in her own time and not by 
our ideas. Most certainly she did not deserve the name as 
much as did that coarse, selfish tyrant, her father (Henry 
VIII. ). Obverse. Her first Seal. Underneath the seated fig- 
ure, "Temporis filia Veritas," (Truth the daughter of time). 
Legend, "Mary by the Grace of God of England, of France, 
and of Ireland Queen. First of her name. Defender of the 
Faith." Reverse, Mary on horseback in royal robes, with 
royal crown. Long open sleeves. The saddle has a high 
pommel on which rests the queen's right hand. Wide reins. 
Foot rest. The hanging drapery on which she is seated 
seems to be embroidered with the Spanish arms (of her 
mother, Catherine of Aragon), and the rose of England. 
Behind her is the lily of France crowned and in front of her 
horse a rosebush. Legend repeated. 

PHILIP AND MARY. Philip is the merciless bigot 
who ruled Spain and inflicted such hideous cruelty on the 
Netherlands. They were an ill-assorted pair, yet Mary seems 
to have loved her heartless partner, to whom she was married 
in Winchester Cathedral, on St. James' day, 1554. It took 
from 11 a.m. to< 3 p.m. to do the deed, and for the Heralds to 
proclaim the royal "styles," that is, what their proper titles 
were. The chair in which Mary sat during the tedious cere- 
mony is still to be seen at Winchester Cathedral. Philip soon 
deserted his childless Queen, and she died 1558. Seal a little 
over 4 inches in diameter. Obverse, King and Queen en- 
throned. Each with a hand on the gigantic orb between 
them, which rests on a pedestal, on the front of which are the 
letters "P. M.," Philip, Mary, bound together by a true- 
lovers' knot and surmounted by a crown. Above the orb, 

27 



surrounded with the Garter, are the arms of the many states 
they ruled over. Both personages are in full coronation 
robes and crowned. The King holds a sword and wears the 
collar of the Golden Fleece. The Queen bears a sceptre and 
has on the collar of the Order of the Garter. Legend, "Philip 
and Mary, by the grace of God King and Queen of England, 
Spain, France, and of the two Sicilies, Jerusalem and Ireland, 
Defenders of the Faith." Reverse. This is exceptionally fine, 
the cutting amongst the best in the entire collection of the 
English Seals. The portrait of the Queen is very good and 
gives an excellent idea of her hard, coarse features. The 
background is richly diapered, containing the rose of Eng- 
land, the castle of Castile, the Lion of Leon, the lily of 
France and the Pomegranate of Granada. The King is in 
full plate armor except that he wears the flat cap of the day. 
Note the huge bits of the horses. Legend, "Archdukes of 
Austria, Burgundy, Milan, and Brabant. Counts of Haps- 
burg, Flanders and the Tyrol." 

ELIZABETH. Born 1533. Queen 1558. Died 1603. 
Daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn, second wife. 
This reign forms the most brilliant epoch in English history, 
as Elizabeth was one of the greatest sovereigns who ever 
ruled England. Her Seal (the second) is about 4^ inches 
in diameter. Obverse: A rather confused composition, but a 
most interesting study of costume. Note that Her Majesty 
wears the huge farthingale of that day. The figure is stiff, 
and were it not for the throne, which is suggested by the 
two ornamental knobs and the slight bulging out of the skirt 
at the knees, intended to indicate a sitting posture, one 
would think the Queen was standing. Hands celestial, emerg- 
ing from clouds, hold back the royal mantle, and surrounding 
all is a rich riot of ornament. Reverse: The queen ambling 
along on her palfrey, seated upon the chair-like side-saddle 
which had come into fashion a century earlier, the feet resting 
upon a little plank ("planchette"), a most insecure seat of 
course. The modern form of side-saddle with the pommels 

28 



{or the knees, is said to have been first used by that er 
disagreeable and dangerous lady, Catherine de Medicis, 
Queen of France (died 1589).* A very interesting point in 
Elizabeth's Seal is the Irish Harp above the horse's croup. 
This is the first appearance of the emblem of Ireland. It is said 
to have been adopted heraldically by Henry VIII. in place 
of the former device, the three crowns of de Yere, Henry 
thinking that the triple crowns smacked of the papacy. The 
Earl of Northampton, then Deputy Earl Marshal, observed 
that he had no affection for the change, as the best reason he 
could assign for it was, that **it resembled Ireland in being 
such an instrument that it required more cost to keep it in 
tune than it was worth." In front of the Harp is the French 
emblem, also crowned. In front of the Queen is the English 
Rose. Rays of light stream upon her sacred head from the 
clouds above. Legend, "Elizabetha Dei Gracia Anglie 
Francie et Hibernie Regina, Fidei Defensor" (see Plate 

in). 

The STUARTS. Queen Elizabeth's aunt Margaret 
married James IV. of Scotland; their granddaughter was the 
fascinating, and probably bad, Man* Stuart. Her son, by 
Darnley, her second husband, whom she blew i//», not meta- 
phorically, was: — 

TAMES I. Born 1566. King 1603. Died 1625. He can 
in all probability claim to be the most contemptible king who 
ever misgoverned England. The famous Gunpowder Plot 
took place in this reign. Its defeat is celebrated even yet, 
on the 5th of November, a sort of English Fourth of July. 
James accomplished one great reform, the union of the 
Crowns. Arms and Flags of England and Scotland, though 
no special credit is due him. The legal or Parliamentary 
union took place in 1707. Seal. Obverse: James in full 

AJX 1260) of Alix, Duchess cf Brabant, represents her 
hawking, on horseback, seated on a saddle, seemingly, exactly like the 
side-saddle of today. Another seal, that of Adele, Countess of Soissons 
(1186), who is also hawking, shows her riding like a man. 

29 



coronation robes; rich canopy over his head. On either 
side, for the first time, appear the arms of the (more or 
less) united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 
the first quarter are the arms of France and England quar- 
terly, used since the time of Edward III. (died 1377), and 
now called the "Tudor Arms," last used by Queen Elizabeth 
Tudor. In the second "grand quarter" the rampant lion of 
Scotland inside a "double tressure fleury." Third "grand 
quarter," the golden harp of Ireland on a blue ground, for 
the first time. Last, a repetition of the Tudor arms in the 
fourth grand quarter. On the right, a lion holding a banner 
blazoned with the purely imaginary arms of that semi- 
mythical British King, Cadwalader. The unicorn on the left 
bears the equally authentic arms of Edward the Confessor; 
''by these James intimated his sovereignty over the peoples of 
the ancient British and Saxon Kings who had formerly reigned 
in his new kingdom of England and Wales." Legend, "J ames 
by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, Ire- 
land, Defender of the Faith." Reverse: James in full armor 
rushing toward his foes. He was such an admitted coward 
that he would not even touch a sword, so this ferocious war- 
rior must have caused many a laugh — behind his back. 

CHARLES I. Born 1600. King 1625. Died, rather 
suddenly, 1649. Morally much like his father; physically a 
great improvement, with the enormous advantage of Van 
Dyke for his portrait painter. "Charles the Martyr"; others 
think that he got just what he deserved. The portrait on the 
Seal is quite good, though an unfortunate pressure on 
Charles' nose has somewhat modified its form. Remainder 
of the Seal much like his father's. 

In 1 642, Charles moved his court to York (war practically 
declared August 22, 1642). Shortly after his arrival, to his 
joy, Littleton, the Lord Keeper, arrived with the Great Seal. 
The Parliamentary party were dismayed, for there was hardly 
a man on either side who was not convinced that he was fight- 
ing for Constitutional Monarchy, and the policy of theRound- 

30 



Plate III. 




House of Commons. 165 1. p. 32. Oliver Cromwell, p. 33. 

Queen Elizabeth, p. 28. 



Heads was to carry on the government in the King's name, 
but without the Great Seal they were powerless. Hallam 
in his Constitutional History, says: — "It must surely excite 
a smile that men who had raised armies and fought battles 
against the King, should be perplexed how to get over so 
technical a difficulty. But the Great Seal of England, in the 
eyes of English lawyers, has a sort of mysterious efficacy, and 
passed for the depository of royal authority in a higher degree 
than the person of the King." 

OLIVER CROMWELL. It was high-treason to coun- 
terfeit the Great Seal, but a Seal must be had; so the Com- 
mons, despite the dire threats of Charles, passed the requisite 
Resolution, 86 votes to 74, and Thomas Simonds, for £100 
supplied them with a rather crude imitation of the old Great 
Seal (1643). Oxford surrendered in 1646, when the Com- 
mons, much to their delight, got possession of the real Seal. 

Now, a new design fitted to the changed condition was 
sought. That selected is original and interesting. Obverse: 
The map of England, Ireland and Wales, with the arms of the 
same. In the "Narrow Seas" is England's fleet, which under 
Blake, Monk and Penn made all Europe fear. There were 
550 names engraved on this map, so fine was the work. Note 
the accessories. Legend. "The Great Seale of England 
165 1." Reverse: Still more interesting. A view of Parlia- 
ment in session. The member sitting in front, without his 
hat, is supposed to be Sir James Harrington; the one address- 
ing the House, Cromwell's brother-in-law, Thomas Harrison, 
the regicide. Legend. "In. the. third. Yeare, of. Freedome. 
by. God's. Blessing Restored. 165 1." Simonds received £200 
for this Seal, and certainly earned it (see Plate III). 

August nth, 1646, in the presence of Parliament, a 
brawny blacksmith literally smashed the real Great Seal, the 
one captured at Oxford. When that of 1651 was finished the 
Seal made by order of Parliament was also smashed. 

Many things happened; the head of Charles I. fell 30 
January, 1649. Battle of Worcester, Charles II.'s abortive at- 

32 



tempt to regain the Crown, September 3, 1651. Cromwell 
made Protector, 1653. His Seal is large, as it ought to be, 
5^ inches in diameter. Obverse: The Protector on horse- 
back, a stately figure with his right hand resting on his staff 
of office. Floating over his horse's crupper is his new-made 
coat-of-arms, from which all the royal lions have been driven ; 
instead we have, for England, the red cross of St. George. For 
Scotland, the white cross of St. Andrew (a "saltire"). Ireland 
retains her Harp. In the middle (on an "inescutcheon") a 
golden shield on which ramps the lion of Cromwell, lord of 
all he surveys. Legend. "Olivarius Dei Gra Reip Anglias, 
Scotise et Hibernian, etc., Protector" (Oliver, by the Grace of 
God, of the Republic of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Pro- 
tector). Reverse: The same coat-of-arms with Cromwell's 
motto, "Pax quaeritur Bello" (Peace is sought in War). The 
Supporters, for some unknown reason, are those of Henry 
VIII., the lion of England and the red gryphon of Wales. 
Legend. "Great Seal of the Republic of England, of Scot- 
land, and of Ireland." 

CROMWELL. Great Seal for Ireland. Obverse, the 
same arms "ensigned" with the royal helm and crest. Legend, 
"Great Seal of Ireland, 1655." Reverse, same as preceding, 
except that the harp takes the place of the saltire of St. 
Andrew, while beneath the horse is a distant view of Dublin 
and its port. 

CROMWELL, RICHARD. Third son of the Protec- 
tor. His Seal, with the change of Richard for Oliver, a ter- 
rible change for the worse, the same as his father's. Cromwell 
had named no successor, but the Council of State selected 
Richard; he was an easy going country gentleman, fit, as he 
remarked, for nothing higher than a chief constable. Prac- 
tically deposed by the army May, 1659; fled to Paris on 
account of his debts. Died 1712, at his country seat, Hursley, 
not far from Winchester. 

CHARLES II. Son of Charles I. Born 1630. King, de 
facto, 1660. Died 1685. September 3rd, 1658, a fearful tem- 

33 



pest swept over London. Trees were uprooted, the rain came 
down in sheets, terrified birds flew about bewildered. Crom- 
well lay ill unto death, on this the anniversary of his victories 
of Dunbar, over the Scotch and of Worcester, over Charles 
II. His servants offered him a cooling draught. He put 
it away, saying, "It is not my design to drink or sleep, my 
desire is to make what haste I may to begone," — and out 
into the welcoming war of the elements went that mighty 
soul, fearing naught . . . in a year or more his place 
was taken by Charles Stuart, the profligate, the cruel, the 
ungrateful. "And in an instant the whole face of England 
was changed. All that was noblest and best in Puritanism 
was whirled away." (Green, page 589). Lord Rochester, 
the fashionable poet, the very titles of whose poems no pen 
of today dare copy, wrote on the door of Charles' bed- 
room: — 

"Here rests our sovereign lord the king, 
Whose word no man relies on. 
He never said a foolish thing, 
And never did a wise one." 



This Charles Stuart was guilty even of the almost in- 
credible meanness of revenging himself on the dead bodies 
of the mighty foes he was incapable of meeting in life. He 
had the bodies of Cromwell, Bradshaw and Ireton disinterred 
and gibbeted. Their heads were then cut off and exposed 
on the top of Westminster Hall. Twenty-five years after- 
wards, on a stormy night Cromwell's blew down. A sentinel 
picked it up and secreted it till search was over. It found 
rest in a museum for a time and is now owned by a Mr. 
Wilkinson, in Kent, who keeps it, in his drawing-room, in a 
velvet lined box (Truth, May 19, 1904). 

Charles left no legitimate children, but many others; 
among them the handsome but unpleasant Duke of Mon- 
mouth. Charles is the ancestor of the Dukes of Buccleugh, 
of Southampton, of Grafton, of St. Albans, of Richmond. 

34 



These all bear, or bore, the royal arms of England with the 
"bar-sinister" upon them. 

Charles was called the. "Merry Monarch," and his sense 
of humor was so abnormal, that, lingering somewhat, before 
breathing his last, he managed to whisper to the surrounding 
courtiers his extreme regret for inconveniencing them by 
such a protracted departure. 

Obverse: Dated 1660. Singularly fine, very deep cut 
and artistic. It is, probably, copied from the one made in 
Paris in 1653, to replace that lost at the battle of Worcester, 
165 1. The likeness of the king is excellent. The legend is as 
on his father's, except that the more modern "Great Britain, 
France and Ireland" now appears (see Cover). 

Reverse (first Seal): Charles in profile, a good likeness. 
On horseback in classic costume. Under the horse is a view 
of London before the fire; London Bridge to the right. 

Reverse (second Seal): Same as first, except less good. 
Full face, with the wig of the period. Rather an absurd 
adjunct to the Roman costume. Legend, same except 
"secundus" replaces "II." 

Reverse (third Seal): Same as second, except the king 
has donned the "half-armor" of his day, with a helmet over 
the huge wig. Is now galloping in the opposite direction. 
Behind him the Irish harp, crowned. Below the horse, a 
greyhound, running. Several boats have been added to the 
view of London. This is the Seal on the Penn Charter (see 
page 7). 

JAMES II. Third son of Charles I. Born 1633. King 
1685. Duke of York. Married 1. Ann Hyde. 2. Mary of 
Modena. Fled from England 1688, on the approach of Wil- 
liam of Orange. Died in exile at St. Germain, near Paris, 1701, 
a pensioner on the bounty of the French King, Louis XIV. 
As James fled he dropped the Great Seal into the River 
Thames, well knowing what the want of it meant to his rival. 
By a chance almost miraculous, some fishermen drew it up in 
their nets, knew what it was, hurried with it to the palace, 

35 



so that in less than three days after James' departure it was 
in the hands of the new Lord Chancellor. 

In 1690, in Ireland, the Battle of the Boyne was fought, 
both James and William being present. This battle ended 
James' last hope of regaining the crown he had abandoned 
in so cowardly a manner. 

Obverse, James enthroned. A lion on a bracket to the 
right holding the flag of St. George. A unicorn to the 
left that of St. Andrew. Legend, as in preceding, except 
"Jacobus" substituted for "Carolus." 

Reverse, same as that of Charles' first, except that James 
has added stirrups to the Roman horse trappings, an absurd 
anachronism, as they were quite unknown to the Romans. 

WILLIAM III. AND MARY II. William was the son 
of the eldest daughter of Charles I., who married the Prince 
of Orange. Born 1650. King 1688. Died of fever brought 
on by a broken collar bone, caused by a fall from his horse, 
1702. Mary, whom he married in 1677, was his cousin. She 
was the eldest daughter of James II. by his first wife, Anne 
Hyde. Born 1662. Died of small-pox 1694. They were pro- 
claimed King and Queen 1689. The celebrated siege of 
Derry (North of Ireland) was in this reign. There was 
continuous war with France till the Peace of Ryswick, 1697. 

The great peculiarity of this Seal is that Scotland is abso- 
lutely ignored. Allan Wyon, the great English authority, 
thus explains the omission: "The seal must have been begun 
immediately after the entry of William into London, in 
December, 1688, for it was in use by the nth of March, 1689. 
It was not, however, until the 14th March that the estates of 
Scotland resolved that William and Mary, King and Queen 
of England, France and Ireland, should be declared King 
and Queen of Scotland, and it was not until the nth of 
May that they assumed the crown of Scotland." 

Obverse : The general design is much like that of Philip 
and Mary. The arms of Nassau (William was prince of Nas- 
sau) on an inescutcheon, in the middle of the shield of arms 

36 



between the royal heads, is the only token of a foreign prince 
ruling. Legend, "William III. and Mary II. by the grace of 
God of England, France and Ireland King and Queen. 
Defenders of the Faith." 

Reverse: Much like that of James II. Legend repeated. 
The Seal is in very bad preservation and the workmanship 
seems poor. 

ANNE. Second daughter of James II. by Anne Hyde. 
Born 1664. Married George, Prince of Denmark, 1683. Had 
thirteen children, all of whom died young. Queen 1702. 
Died 1714. The last of the Stuarts. A rather silly woman 
but a most important reign. John Churchill, Duke of Marl- 
borough, the greatest of English generals, with an Anglo- 
Dutch army, and aided by Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was 
quite Marlborough's equal, won from the French the victo- 
ries of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet. Gibral- 
tar, also, was captured. 1707, the legislative union between 
Scotland and England took effect. 

Obverse: This Seal is at least large. Largeness seems 
its only recommendation. The allegorical mob about the 
Queen is painfully characteristic of the art of the time. Anne 
is being crowned by a winged genius. She is trampling on 
Discord. Peace, Commerce and Justice surround her. Eng- 
land, Scotland and Ireland are shaking hands on the left. 
The seated figure on the right holding a trophy, the left arm 
resting on a shield bearing the crosses of Sts. George and 
Andrew, is probably Britannia. In the exergue* is a river 
god holding a harp. 

Reverse: This with Queen Anne's second Seal, are the 
only royal exceptions in the long list of seals in which alle- 
gorical figures take the place of the equestrian effigy. Note 
also that everything possible is done to mark the union with 
Scotland; the arms of the two countries are impaled, as are 

* The space beneath the base line of the subject; on a coin, usually 
occupied by the date. 

37 



those of husband and wife; the national emblems, the rose and 
thistle, grow on the same stem; Sts. George and Andrew 
are shaking hands above. The arms of Great Britain rest 
against a monument; in the first and last quarterings are the 
impaled arms referred to. In the exergue is a flying figure 
pointing to a star. 

GEORGE (Lewis) I. House of Brunswick. This is an 
ancient princely family of Germany descended from the 
Italian family of Este. Ernest of Brunswick, the "Con- 
fessor," born 1497, a zealous Protestant, founded the House 
of Brunswick-Luneburg, died 1546. A descendant, Ernest 
Augustus (born 1629, died 1698), Duke of Brunswick-Lune- 
burg, became Elector of Hanover in 1692. He married 
Sophia, daughter of Elizabeth, the unfortunate Queen of 
Bohemia, who was a daughter of James I. of England. 
George I. was their son.* 

The English "Legitimists" claim that the crown belongs 
to Mary III. She is married to Prince Louis of Bavaria, 
and descended from James II. 's youngest sister Henrietta 
Anne, who married the Duke of Orleans, brother of Louis 
XIV., of France, and died 1670, many thought of poison. 
Mary III. is thus one generation nearer the direct line than 
the present king, Edward VII. 

George I. was born 1660. Married his cousin, Sophia 
Dorothea, daughter of the Duke of Zell, 1682. Elector of 
Hanover 1698. King of England 1714. Died, 1727. The 
sovereigns of Great Britain continued to be Electors of 
Hanover, until the accession of Victoria, 1837, when, the 
"Salic Law" prevailing in Hanover, by which no woman can 
reign, Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, a younger son of George 
III., then became King of Hanover, much to the regret of his 
subjects. George could not speak English when he began to 
reign. 

Obverse: The King with the usual accessories. To his 

* George was thus great-grandson of James I. 

38 



right Britannia with a shield bearing the arms of England 
and Scotland. Behind her a lion crowned, holding the 
banner of Great Britain. To the left Justice, and a unicorn 
bearing the, then, "union flag," which was used during our 
Revolution. Legend, "Georgius Dei Gratia, etc." 

Reverse, first Seal: King on horseback in half armor. 
Amid the horse's heels and legs a distant view of London. 
Legend, "Brunswicen et Luneburgen Dux Sacri Romanii 
Imperii Archithesaurarius et Princeps elect, etc." (Duke 
of Brunswick and Liineburg. Of the Holy Roman Empire 
Arch-Treasurer and Prince Elector, etc.) 

Reverse, second Seal: Same figure with a little addi- 
tional floating drapery. Distant view of Edinburgh this 
time. Over the horse's crupper the symbolic rose of Eng- 
land and thistle of Scotland growing on one stem. Legend 
with same meaning as preceding. Date "171 7." 

GEORGE (Augustus) II. Born 1683, in Hanover. 
1705 married Caroline, a princess of Brandenburg-Anspach. 
King 1727. Died 1760. During this reign there was almost 
ceaseless war. Dettingen, 1743, was a French defeat. Fon- 
tenoy, 1745, a French victory. At Preston-Pans, 1745, 
Charles-Edward, the "Pretender" ("The Young Pretender," 
grandson of James II.) was victorious. At Culloden, 1746 
(both in Scotland), the Duke of Cumberland, called the 
"Butcher Duke," he was such a monster, completely crushed 
the insurgents. He is said to have written his savage order 
to give no quarter, on a nine of diamonds playing-card tha* 
he happened to' have in his pocket; that card has ever since 
been called the "Curse of Scotland." Quebec was captured 
in 1757. In India the death of 146 English in the famous 
"Black Hole of Calcutta" was fully revenged by Clive. 

Obverse : The King apparently seated upon a writhing 
figure of Discord or Envy. He wears under his robes the 
dress of his day. On the right is Hercules, a crowned lion 
peeping from behind him. Britannia (?) with a shield bearing 
the arms of England and Scotland on the left. Three alle- 

39 



gorical figures in the background. Legend, same as preced- 
ing, except the words "Georgius II." 

Reverse, almost exactly same as the first of George I. 

GEORGE III. (William Frederick). Grandson of 
George II. Son of Prince Frederick and Augusta of Saxe- 
Gotha, who died 1751. Born 1738. King 1760. Died 1820. 
When George was crowned a large diamond fell from out its 
setting in the crown and was with difficulty recovered. The 
omen came true, for the American Colonies, the brightest 
jewel of the crown, were lost. 

Obverse: This Seal is very modern. Britannia, Hercules, 
Plenty, Mars, Religion, Justice and the British lion grouped 
about George. The portrait is fairly good. Above the king's 
head the arms of Great Britain and Hanover; the rose and 
the thistle on one stem, on the heraldic right; the harp of 
Ireland, crowned, on the other side. Legend, same as preced- 
ing, except the king's number. See Plate IV. 

Reverse, rearing horse. King in half armor. Holster 
with pistol. Royal harp over the crupper. Distant view of 
London. Legend, as preceding, except date "1761." 

GEORGE IV. (Augustus Frederick). Born 1762. Mar- 
ried in 1786, Mrs. Fitzherbert, a Roman Catholic lady. The 
marriage was held to be illegal but was recognized by the 
Roman Church. 1795 George married Caroline of Bruns- 
wick, whom he treated abominably. She died 1821. He 
came to the throne in 1820, and died 1830, fortunately leav- 
ing no direct heirs, as the question of bigamy might be awk- 
ward even in a king. His pleasant manner gained him the 
title of the "First Gentleman of Europe," but he was a mean 
and a weak character. 

Obverse: The King in St. Edward's Chair surrounded 
by Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Justice, Religion, Minerva; 
if they hoped to< be of use they were disappointed. The 
arms of Great Britain and the now Kingdom of Hanover 
(it was promoted to a kingdom in 1814). The British lion 



40 



Plate IV. 




George III. p. 40. 
William IV. p. 42. 



in the exergue. A wreath of oak and laurel replaces the 
inscription. 

Reverse: King on horse. Date MDCCCXX, in ex- 
ergue. Note that he is no longer "King of France"; that 
absurdity was given up when the flag w T as changed in 1801 by 
the addition of St. Patrick's cross (!); St. Patrick never had a 
cross. See p. 21. 

WILLIAM IV. The last King of Great Britain and 
Hanover. Third son of George III. Born 1765. King 1830. 
Died 1837. Married Adelaide, daughter of the Duke of Saxe- 
Meiningen. They had two children, both of whom died in 
infancy. 

Obverse : Much like that of George IV. In the exergue, 
the rose, thistle and caduceus. Wears the collars of three 
orders, the Garter, the Bath, the Guelphs of Hanover. The 
cloak is of ermine embroidered along the lower edge with 
the rose, the shamrock and the thistle. 

Reverse : King mounted riding along a quay, with some 
of the stately men of war of the day, huge three deckers 
carrying over one hundred guns; William was a sailor. Sad- 
dle cloth a lion's skin. Long cloak with a star on the 
shoulder, and, for the first time on English Seals, trousers. 
A trident and laurel wreath in exergue. Legend, ''William 
IV. by the grace of God of Great Britain King. Defender 
of the Faith." The likeness is good (see Plate IV). 



V 



Plate V. 




Queen Victoria. 1837 to 1901. 



A FEW AMERICAN SEALS. 

MARYLAND. Obverse, the full coat of arms of Lord 
Baltimore. In the first and fourth quarters, the arms of 
Calvert (Lord Baltimore's family name); second and third, 
the arms of Crossland. Above the shield is an Earl's coronet, 
and above that a helmet, full face, signifying sovereignty (?). 
From a crest-coronet spring two> small pennons, one yellow, 
one black, the crest of Calvert. Supporters, a fisherman and 
a plowman. Motto; "Fatti Maschi parole femine" (manly 
deeds, womanly words). Legend; ''Voluntatis tuae coronasti 
nos scuto bonse" (with the shield of Thy good will Thou hast 
covered us). Reverse. The usual mounted figure in armor, 
rather hobbyhorse-like as if he knew he was an anachronism. 
Horse-trappings bear the family arms as above. Legend; 
"Carolus, absolv. Dms. Terrae Marise et Avaloniae Baro. 
de Baltemore" (sic) (Charles, absolute lord of the land of 
Mary and of Avalon, Baron of Baltimore). Avalon is the 
name he gave his unsuccessful colony in Newfoundland, 
1621-3. 

This seal dates from 1648. The matrices were of silver. 
There was an earlier one of the same precious metal but it 
was stolen in 1644. That of 1648 was used till 1692; from 
then until the Revolution the Province was under royal 
governors. The Calvert family became extinct in 1771. 

By law of 1874 the obverse of this Seal was readopted, 
merely adding the date, "1632," the year in which the charter 
of Maryland was signed. As the reverse signified the per- 
sonal authority of the Proprietor it was no longer appro- 
priate and was discarded (see Plate VI). 

PENNSYLVANIA. The Penn Charter (see page 7) 
instructed William Penn to use his paternal arms (Plate VII) 
as the State Seal of Pennsylvania; to it he added, as a sort of 
motto, "Mercy," "Justice." On the reverse, three ears of 
corn, forming a trefoil, and from the same centre, alternating, 

44 



Plate VI. 




Confederate States, p. 46. 
Lord Baltimore, p. 44. 



three sticks entwined with grapevines. Legend; "Truth, 
Peace. Love, and Plenty. 1699." 

The original arms of the city of Philadelphia (1701) 
were heraldically, quarterly; first, azure, on a fess argent 
two clasped hands proper. Second, argent, a garb proper 
(wheat sheaf). Third, argent, the scales of Justice proper. 
Fourth, azure, a ship in full sail, proper. Legend; "Seal of 
the City of Philadelphia, 1701." Proper, means in the natu- 
ral colors. 

September 28th, 1776, Messrs. Rittenhouse, Jacobs and 
Clymer were appointed a committee to prepare a Seal. From 
the arms of Philadelphia, they selected the ship and the wheat 
sheaf, adding the plough in the middle on a horizontal band 
("fess"), the whole symbolizing commerce, husbandry, agri- 
culture. This, with trifling changes, has remained ever since 
the Seal of the Commonwealth, and is one of the very best 
in the somewhat absurd collection of State Seals with their 
crude attempts at symbolism. 

GEORGIA. The impression is so poor that it is almost 
impossible to see the device. On one side are some silk- 
worms feeding on a leaf, with the motto, "Non sibi, sed 
aliis" (not for himself, but for others). On the opposite side 
"an elegant house and other buildings, with sheep and cat- 
tle; a river running through the same, with a ship under full 
sail and the motto, 'Deus nobis haec otia fecit' " (God has 
given us this repose). (Flag of the U. S. Preble, p. 631.) 

CONFEDERATE STATES SEAL. 

An equestrian figure of Washington surrounded by a 
wreath of cotton, tobacco, sugar-cane, wheat and rice. 
Legend; — "The Confederate States of America." Motto; — 
"Deo Vindice," which they understood to mean, "with God 
for our leader we will conquer" ("The News," Richmond, 
April 23rd, 1863, Wm. T. Thompson, Editor). Date, Feb. 
22nd, 1862. 

46 



Plate VII. 




Great Seal of the Province of Pennsylvania. 
Arms of William Penn. 1699. 



A FEW CHARACTERISTIC SEALS. 

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. XIII Century. 
Represents the interior of the same, with the murder of 
Thomas a Becket, 1170. Legend, much abbreviated, "Ictibus 
immens Thomas qui corruat ens Tutor ab offens urbis sit 
Canturien" (Thomas who may fall by the heavy blow of 
a sword, may be patron of defence to the city of Canter- 
bury). A not unnatural, but rash remark of King Henry II., 
who was rendered furious by the incessant opposition of the 
cantankerous a Becket to his attempts at reform, incited four 
knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Morville, William de 
Tracy and Richard le Breton, to remove the cause of Henry's 
rage. The martyr kneels in front of the altar; beside it stands, 
though he did not stay long, as the martyr spirit was not 
strongly developed in him, John of Salisbury (?), later Bishop 
of Chartres, France. At Chartres John erected a window 
in commemoration of his patron's death, so that we have two, 
almost contemporaneous representations of the celebrated 
event. The two royal figures at the sides, are probably, 
statues of St. Edward and St. Edmund (see Plate I). 

CITY OF SOUTHAMPTON, 1495. A ship of about 
the year 1300, the "castles" fore (from whence "forecastle") 
and aft, seem to have platforms with crenelated bulwarks. 
The captain (?) is in front giving an order to the two men 
out on the yard furling the sail. On the poop stand two men 
with trumpets, possibly signalling the captain's orders. A 
crescent moon is seen through the rigging (see Plate I). 

DUNWICH. The square Seal of that mysterious city of 
Dunwich on the coast of Suffolk, is especially noteworthy on 
account of its very rare shape. Dunwich was one of the 

48 



oldest seaport cities of England. Today nothing of it re- 
mains save the ruins of one lonely church, All Saints, just 
tottering to its fall into the maw of that insatiable ocean that 
has devoured the homes of the generations that once wor- 
shipped in it (see Plate I). 

TEMPLARS. The great Religious Military Order of 
the Temple was founded, 1118, for the defence of pilgrims to 
the Holy Land. These military monks first lodged near 
Solomon's Temple (in Jerusalem), whence their name, "Poor 
United Champions of Christ and the Temple." They soon 
moved to other quarters near the round Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre, in memory of which their own churches were ever 
built of similar shape. Their badge was a red cross on a 
white cloak. Their flag, black and white, was called "Beau- 
eeant," why, we know not. 

In 1307, Philip IV., one of the very worst of the evil 
kings of France, supported by his tool, Pope Clement V., 
determined to get possession of the much coveted wealth of 
the Order, over which he had gloated when the Templars had 
generously protected him from the fury of his ill-treated 
subjects. The Order had reached a perilous pinnacle of power, 
and the 'Temple," later the prison of the unhappy Louis 
XVI. and his family, then a great fortress outside the walls 
of Paris, was regarded as a sort of safe-deposit vault. In the 
London "Temple" the Crown itself and other Regalia were 
for a time kept. 

Philip trumped up a lot of what were then considered 
hideous charges against the Order, and in 1307, all over 
France, the rack, the stake and other tortures provided wit- 
nesses more dead than alive, ready in their torment, to say 
anything desired and retract it all when restored to reason, 
though well knowing that the punishment therefor was 
death. Jacque de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Order, 
by a refinement of cruelty, was imprisoned for seven years. 
An eye witness of his terrible death, by fire, tells the follow- 
ing tale (Godfrey of Paris); "the day was rainy, the wood 

49 



Plate VIII. 




Louis XVI. p. ?2. Napoleon I. p. 52. 

Blanche de Navarre, p. 51. 

Baldwin, of Treves, p. 51. 
Charles V. p. 52. Pius VII. p. $?>. 



was wet, so that the victim was soon enveloped in dense 
clouds of smoke; suddenly a solemn voice issued therefrom; 
'I call upon thee, Clement, Pope of Rome; I call upon thee, 
Philip King of France, to appear, the one within forty days, 
the other in less than a year before the Judgement Seat of 
God, to answer for your crimes done to me and my Brethren/ 
This was on March 20th. On April 20th Clement died in 
torment of a loathsome disease. On November 4th Philip 
was killed by a fall from his horse." The papal edict put an 
end to the Order throughout Europe, but, except in cruel 
France, this was done with little or no suffering. 

The large Seal represents two knights mounted on one 
horse, symbol of the early poverty of the Order. Those who 
have attended service in that most impressive of London 
churches, "The Temple," have surely noticed, stamped on 
Prayer Books or gleaming in the stained windows, the effigy 
of a Pegasus, and may have wondered thereat. Thus it came 
about; the early engraver saw the two excrescences over the 
horse's back and jumped at the conclusion that they were 
the tips of wings; so a Pegasus it became, and a Pegasus it 
has remained down through the centuries. The other two 
seals represent the round Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 
Jerusalem, and are from charters, the one of 12 14, the other 
of 1255 (see Plate II). 

Th$ upright, elliptical, pointed Seals are always either 
ecclesiastical Or belong to a woman. This shape is known as 
the "vesica," from "vesica piscis," fish-bladder; it is the 
aureole or glory within which the "Primitives" (early paint- 
ers) placed. the Trinity, Christ, the Virgin, or an Apostle (see 
page 9). 

Blanche de Navarre, Queen of France, second wife of 
Philip VI. (died 1350). "Note the lace-like richness of the 
Gothic tracery; the shields of arms, one France, the other 
Navarre and Evreux. At the Queen's feet is a dog, the 
usual symbol of fidelity (see Plate VIII). 

The other Seal (with one of the matrices) of the same 

51 



shape, is that of Baldwin, Elector and Archbishop of Treves, 
on the Moselle. About 1342 (see Plate VIII). 

LOUIS XVI. Unfortunate victim of the sins of his 
predecessors, grandson of the profligate Louis XV. Born 
1754. King 1774. Guillotined 1793. He it was who so effec- 
tually aided us in our Revolution. 

Obverse: This is the last Seal of a French King "in 
Majesty" for many years. He is seated on a throne, under 
a canopy supported by two angels. In his right hand he 
holds the royal sceptre of France, tipped with the fleur-de- 
lis; in his left the "Hand of Justice." At his feet, on either 
side, are lions' heads. Date "1790." About his neck are the 
collars of the royal orders of St. Michael and the Holy Spirit. 
As a portrait this is poor. The legend tells the ominous 
story of the downfall of the Monarchy; "Louis XVI. by the 
Grace of God and by the Constitutional Law of the State, 
King of the French," a king but in name. His predecessors 
were "Kings of France" (see Plate VIII). 

NAPOLEON I. (Bonaparte). Born 1769. Consul 1799. 
Emperor 1804. Died in exile at St. Helena, 1821. The de- 
sign for this Seal was made by Denon, celebrated author and 
artist, in 1808. The background is intended to recall the 
tent or "pavilion" of the Kings of France; it rather suggests 
a photographer's screen. Overhead is the huge, new crown 
of the Empire. Everything is classic, from the new sceptre, 
the throne, the pose, drapery, to the short Roman sword. 
Legend; "Napoleon, Emperor of the French" (see Plate 
VIII). 

CHARLES V., Emperor of Germany. Born 1500. 
Emp. 1 5 19. Died 1558. Most powerful of modern German 
Emperors. He ruled all Europe, except the present Great 
Britain, France, the extreme North and East; in addition 
he ruled the Americas and the Indies. His heraldic arms 
contained those of all Europe, with the exceptions men- 
tioned, supported on the "Pillars of Hercules," which today 
are said to typify the two mountains on either side the Strait 

52 



of Gibraltar. His proud motto was, "Plus Ultra," More 
Beyond, — meaning North and South America, the Indies, etc. 

These pillars are probably the oldest symbol known to 
the human race. According to tradition, Melcarthus, a 
Tyrian navigator and explorer, sailed in search of fabled 
Atlantis or dimly rumored Britain. He founded a town 
which he called Gades and in it set up two pillars as a memo- 
rial, building over them the Temple of Hercules. The town 
grew to importance, the rough memorial pillars were re- 
placed by others of precious metal, and the name, in Spanish, 
became Cadiz. Charles V. adopted these pillars for his sup- 
porters. At Seville there was a mint in which a standard 
dollar was coined, called in the Mediterranean Coasts, "col- 
lonato," because of the two columns upon it. In accounts 
two vertical strokes of the pen stood for this coin, as they 
stand, with the addition of the "S," for our own dollars. 

The arms to the Emperor's right hand, are those of the 
Empire; to the left are those of Spain, Naples, Burgundy, 
Austria, etc. Both are encircled with the collar of the Golden 
Fleece. Legend, in much abbreviated Latin: — "KAROLUS 
ROMANOR IMPERATOR REX HISPA VTRIUSQ 
CICIL ARCHA DVX BVRG" (Charles Emperor of the 
Romans. King of Spain and of the Two Sicilies, Archduke 
of Austria, Duke of Burgundy). 

PIUS VII. Pope. Born 1742. Pope 1799. Died 
1823. His Great Seal bears his family arms. Above it is 
the papal Tiara with its three crowns. Behind the shield are 
the crossed keys, one gold, one silver. Beneath are branches 
of palm and olive. Legend, "Pius VII. Pont. Max." Su- 
preme Pontiff. 

It was this unfortunate pope who was forced by Napo- 
leon to go to Paris, not to crown the Emperor, for Napoleon 
placed the simple circlet of golden laurel leaves on his own 
head, but to be a witness and add dignity to the occasion. 
Pius VII. signed the "Concordat," which surrendered the 
supremacy of Rome in France. 

53 



Some of the several authorities freely used: 

The Great Seals of England, by Allan Wyon, F.S.A., 
Chief Engraver of Her Majesty's Seals. 

The Great Seal of England. Michael MacDonagh. 
Temple Bar. December, 1899. 

Les Sceaux, par Lecoy de la Marche. 

Le Costume au Moyen Age, d'apres les Sceaux. G. 
Demay. 

The Great Seal of England, by Charles E. Dana. Pro- 
ceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Phila- 
delphia, 1902, etc., etc. 



54 



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